British rule over India, came by default due to operations of the East India Company, the British Crown got India by default.
The East India Company were basically traders who used oppertunities for trade and business, using their military technology to side with the local rajas was part of that policy.
China had the Qing dynasty ruling in Peking from 1644 to 1911(49). A single imperial authority is difficult to defeat compared to small rajas with parochial interests.
The East India Company were basically traders who used oppertunities for trade and business, using their military technology to side with the local rajas was part of that policy.
China had the Qing dynasty ruling in Peking from 1644 to 1911(49). A single imperial authority is difficult to defeat compared to small rajas with parochial interests.
also, there were periods of Qing competence where the Europeans thought that taking China would be an expensive proposition. the Qing actually tactically defeated the French in the Sino-French War (although the Chinese lost strategically), and by 1907 even the British felt that they could no longer execute another Opium War without more resources than they were willing to spend.
moving back to india for a bit, though, it's really too bad gandhi didn't push for Dominion status vice outright independence. he had to have known just prior to his assassination that things were not exactly going swimmingly-- and that for all his nonviolence, there was a lot of butchering going on. i wonder if he ever thought about that and regretted some of his actions.
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